BCCA has been appointed by the Burnett Mary Regional Group to manage the final two years of the 5-year Baffle Reef Systems Repairs project.
According to the second Reef Plan Report, the Baffle catchment has the third highest riparian vegetation loss percentage of all the Great Barrier Reef catchments. This loss was compounded by the record 2013 flood, where most areas of the Baffle suffered severe damage.
The Baffle system repairs program seeks to curtail riparian and wetland vegetation loss and the contribution of sediment and nutrient entering the GBR lagoon. This will be achieved through the protection and restoration of riparian areas and wetlands in priority areas of the catchment.
Landholders will be assisted to restrict cattle access, revegetate cleared and degraded areas as well as manage invasive weeds and feral pigs. The project will help restore the EPBC listed Lowland Rainforests of Subtropical Australia ecosystem and habitat for several EPBC listed species.
Field Officer Peter is busy visiting landholders who have expressed an interest in the project. One of the major concerns with landholders on Baffle Creek and tributaries is the extent of infestation of the Cats Claw Creeper. Cats Claw is causing severe damage to the riparian vegetation on the mid to upper reaches of the Baffle and its major tributaries Granite and Colosseum Creeks.
Due to the extent of the infestation, only limited on-ground control of Cats Claw will be possible through this project. However, it is pleasing to note that a bio-control insect for Cats Claw (the Jewel Beetle) is being bred and trialled through a joint project with Bundaberg Regional Council.
If you are in the Baffle Catchment and are interested in doing an on-ground project lodge an expression of interest with Peter Crawford P:0427 024 921 or E: [email protected]. Please provide Peter with your roadside address, lot/plan numbers and phone and email contact details.